I found the language in Hurston's Sweat to be very violent and aggressive, yet very honest and realistic of the time period. For example, when Sykes says, "'You sho is one aggravatin' nigger woman!," it is a very brutal choice of language that Hurston uses, but it is most likely reflective of the twentieth century racism, pre-civil rights movement era. Clearly the language is not the normal, standard form of English, as it has been made distinct and personalized with an accent. This rough language also relates to the identity and background of Hurston, as she claims that it was her "race" that got her into trouble with the law, specifically the incident where she was accused of committing "immoral" acts with a ten-year-old boy. Hurston also took many cleaning positions throughout her life, so the dialogue that takes place between Delia and Sykes is most likely reflective of some of Hurston's personal experiences through the odd jobs she took throughout her life. The same goes for the language in Faulkner's That Evening Sun, a reflection of the time era. Choices such as "nigger" and "negro" reveal his historical context, the pre-civil-rights movement era. You would assume that he is a black author, but he is not.
As for comparing and contrasting the language of the two stories, they share similarities and differences. Both Hurston and Faulkner use language that is clearly pre-civil-rights movement era, as Hurston uses the term "nigger" (1022) and Faulkner uses both "nigger" and "negro" (422), as these are terms we might not see as often in literature today just due to the fact that society has become more progressive. The two authors also both apply a Southern accent to their language, by spelling words differently so that they reflect the way they are pronounced in the story. For example, Hurston changes up the spelling of words to reflect a Southern accent with choices such as "grindin'" and "git" (1023), and Faulkner does the same in the character dialogue with "ain't" and "yawl" (423). Both authors talk about "white" folks as well. It is clear that the language is reflective of the time era and the author's identity. However, they are different in that Faulkner's language is not as intensely and aggressively changed as much as Hurston's is.
As for comparing and contrasting the language of the two stories, they share similarities and differences. Both Hurston and Faulkner use language that is clearly pre-civil-rights movement era, as Hurston uses the term "nigger" (1022) and Faulkner uses both "nigger" and "negro" (422), as these are terms we might not see as often in literature today just due to the fact that society has become more progressive. The two authors also both apply a Southern accent to their language, by spelling words differently so that they reflect the way they are pronounced in the story. For example, Hurston changes up the spelling of words to reflect a Southern accent with choices such as "grindin'" and "git" (1023), and Faulkner does the same in the character dialogue with "ain't" and "yawl" (423). Both authors talk about "white" folks as well. It is clear that the language is reflective of the time era and the author's identity. However, they are different in that Faulkner's language is not as intensely and aggressively changed as much as Hurston's is.
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